Economics
Inequality in Wealth Distribution and Intergenerational Mobility
Quick fact
A landmark study of American mobility found that a child born into the bottom fifth of the income distribution has about a 7% chance of reaching the top fifth as an adult, and nearly the same odds as a child born into the top. However, the same study found that among those born into the top quintile, Black children are more likely to move down than white children, while white children, even from the bottom, have a higher chance of staying in the middle.
Why this is interesting
You often hear that the rich get richer and the poor stay poor — but is that really true? What if the odds of moving up the economic ladder depend more on the family you are born into than on your own effort?